Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,867,085 shares, an increase of 47.2% from the March 15th total of 3,306,015 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,179,353 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup started coverage on Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.47.

Natera Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded down $7.16 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $200.03. The company had a trading volume of 755,732 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,218,583. Natera has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $256.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $203.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.26. The stock has a market cap of $28.35 billion, a PE ratio of -130.65 and a beta of 1.68.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 9.03%.The company had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $600.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.41) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.72, for a total value of $19,680,185.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,504,704.32. The trade was a 40.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 37,175 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.54, for a total value of $9,016,424.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 64,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,552,392.42. This trade represents a 36.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 314,545 shares of company stock valued at $73,141,185 in the last ninety days. 5.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 103.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.